| "Going Down to Liverpool" | |
|---|---|
| Song bythe Waves | |
| from the EPShock Horror! | |
| Released | 1983 (1983) |
| Length | 3:33 |
| Label | Aftermath |
| Songwriter(s) | Kimberley Rew |
| Producer(s) | Richard Bishop |
| Licensed audio | |
| "Going Down to Liverpool" onYouTube | |
"Going Down to Liverpool" is a song written byKimberley Rew for his groupKatrina and the Waves and best remembered for acover version bythe Bangles.[1]
The original version of the song appeared on Katrina and the Waves' 1982 EPShock Horror! (with the band then simply named the Waves). Soon thereafter, they re-recorded the song for inclusion on their 1983 debut full-length albumWalking on Sunshine, which was only released in Canada. The version included on both releases featured Rew on lead vocals.
When the band signed with major labelCapitol Records, the song was re-recorded again withKatrina Leskanich on lead vocals and included on their 1985self-titled album. Although never released as a single, it was featured as the B-side of two of the band's singles, "Plastic Man" and their breakthrough hit "Walking on Sunshine".
| "Going Down to Liverpool" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 1986 UK reissue cover | ||||
| Single bythe Bangles | ||||
| from the albumAll Over the Place | ||||
| B-side | "Dover Beach" | |||
| Released | September 1984 (1984-09) (US)[2] March 1985 (1985-03) (UK)[3] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Kimberley Rew | |||
| Producer(s) | David Kahne | |||
| The Bangles singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Going Down to Liverpool" onYouTube | ||||
American bandthe Bangles covered the song on their 1984 major label debut albumAll Over the Place. The song features lead vocals byDebbi Peterson and it was released as the album's second single, one of only two singles with Peterson on lead vocals, the other being "Be with You". The song had been introduced by a friend toVicki Peterson, who immediately liked it and urged the band to record a cover.
The single failed to chart in the U.S., and became a minor UK hit in April 1985, peaking at No. 79. The single's B-side was the album track "Dover Beach", and the 12" single featured three songs from theirBangles EP on the B-side.
When the band found success with their subsequent albumDifferent Light, "Going Down to Liverpool" was re-released as a single in the UK and Ireland in 1986 after the release of "If She Knew What She Wants", with new cover artwork and featuring theDifferent Light album track "Let It Go". This time the single fared better but still only became a minor hit, peaking at No. 56, while it became a top 40 hit in Ireland peaking at No. 21.
The music video for the song was directed byTamar Simon Hoffs, the mother of Bangles memberSusanna Hoffs. The video features the band inside a car being driven around by a chauffeur, who appears to be unimpressed by the group (at one point he turns off the car radio, stopping the song). The car stops inside a tunnel and the girls walk towards the end of it, which cuts to the band playing and dancing over a red background. After the girls leave the car, the chauffeur ends up tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.Leonard Nimoy played the part of the chauffeur; this came about due to Nimoy being a friend of Tamar and Susanna's family.[6][7] The video entered rotation onMTV in mid-October 1984.[8]
On 1986 British single releaseSean O'Hagan left an ironic review forNew Musical Express. As per him "The Bangles just transcend their spiritual roots here, and provide a hard-edged hymn to the joys of life on the dole."[9]
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[10] | 79 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 48 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 42 |
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
| UK Singles Chart[10] | 56 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 21 |
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Compilation albums | |
| Extended plays | |
| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
